“As an active consultant and safety auditor in business aviation, I saw so many clients coming up short in basic areas of their SMS simply because they didn’t have the staff support, the real know-how, or the time in addition to other duties. Our industry regularly makes use of contractors, and outsource several functions such as maintenance and training - so why not also outsource the SMS responsibilities? SMS support is acceptable to the FAA, IS-BAO, IS-BAH, BASC, ACSF, Wyvern and ARGUS. Safety Standup is your contract Safety Officer.” - Walter Kraujalis
Walter Kraujalis, Founder & President
Walter has served the business aviation industry his entire career. Walter is the former Director of Safety of USAIG aviation insurance and still provides Safety Engineering services to Allianz Insurance and other aviation brokers and underwriters. He is a current member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), the Vertical Aviation International (VAI- formerly the Helicopter Association International), and the Aviation Insurance Association (AIA). Walter is a current auditor with the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) to perform International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO) audits since 2005 with all five specialty qualifications. He is the host of the Business Aviation Teleconferences for the past 5 years as the President of AeronomX (an aviation consulting firm) - these teleconferences and podcasts are now continued under Safety Standup as “Safety Shoutout”. Walter is an attorney (currently not in active practice) with a focus in aviation. His Juris Doctorate degree is from Pepperdine University of Law. His Business Administration degree is from the University of South Florida.
Walter has a current Airline Transport Licensed (ATP) pilot for both fixed-wing and rotor aircraft with over 10 different type ratings and over 10,000 hours of flight time, He actively flies as a contract pilot in the Bombardier Global Express/6000. His other previous executive positions include: Founder and president of CharterX (purchased by Avinode); Aviation Department Manager/Director at several national departments throughout his career including bases in Van Nuys, and White Plains; Pilot Examiner and Instructor with SimuFlite Training International (now CAE) in Gulfstream aircraft.
Chris Sylvia, Safety Specialist
Chris Sylvia is a Safety Specialist for Safety Standup. Chris is a captain with over 20 years of aviation experience working for a major US defense contractor that is IS-BAO Stage 3. He has served as the Safety Manager and continues to have oversight of their SMS. With prior experience with Parts 121 and 135, and now with the Part 91 environment, he specializes in administration and leadership and is responsible for a wide variety of professional roles while seeking to continually expand his knowledge. Chris is a NBAA Certified Aviation Manager (“CAM”), has additional specialized training in Safety Management, and has a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management and Flight Operations from Daniel Webster College.
Nicolas Esposito, Safety Specialist
Nick Esposito is a Safety Specialist for Safety Standup. He brings of wealth of experience of FOQA program development and implementation. Nick is a Lead Captain on a Global 6000 with a major aircraft management company, with concurrent FOQA program gatekeeper and Global check airman duties. He was previous with the GE flight department as a large cabin international captain plus held a Bombardier Challenger Advisory position, led the Training and Standards for the Challenger aircraft, and was an integral part of the new pilot interview and hiring team. Nick earned his Bachelors of Science in Aviation Management from Florida Institute of Technology.